1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an exposure and developing system, and a method of manufacturing a device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an exposure process, a substrate conveyance robot accommodated in a coating and developing apparatus chamber conveys a substrate coated with a photosensitive material from the coating and developing apparatus chamber to an exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus exposes the substrate transferred from the coating and developing apparatus chamber. A substrate conveyance robot accommodated in the exposure apparatus transfers the exposed substrate to the coating and developing apparatus chamber again. Then, this substrate undergoes a post-exposure baking (PEB) process and a developing process.
The timing of substrate transfer between the exposure apparatus and the developing device changes in accordance with an apparatus operation state which depends on the times required for processes such as photosensitive material coating, substrate conveyance, substrate temperature control before exposure, exposure, PEB and development, as well as on the number of processed substrates. The exposure apparatus and the developing device perform control to maximize the processing speed in response to such a change in timing.
The inventors of the present invention found that, in an exposure and developing system formed by connecting the developing device and the exposure apparatus, a change in time from exposure until PEB or from exposure until development generates a variation in the line width of a manufactured semiconductor.